Participation (%) Blank Popular initiative “united for a new policy on foreigners” of 10 October 1980 I. 39.9 15 524 13.03.1977 Popular initiative “to limit the annual number of naturalizations” (fifth initiative against foreign expropriation) I. 45.2 265 13.03.1977 Popular initiative of the Republican Party “to protect Switzerland” (fourth initiative against foreign expropriation) I. 252 07.12.1975 Federal decree amending the Constitution (freedom of establishment and regulations on assistance) 242 20.10.1974 220 07.06.1970 Date 305 05.04.1981 266 Subject YES NO Cantons Cantons accepting (4) rejecting (4) YES (%)(3) Accepted (A) Rejected (R) 252 531 1 304 153 16.2 R 20 6/2 24 673 568 867 1 116 188 33.8 R 19 6/2 45.2 29 949 495 904 1 182 820 29.5 R 19 6/2 Obl. 30.9 39 934 842 165 271 563 75.6 A Popular initiative against foreign expropriation and the overpopulation of Switzerland I. 70.3 28 338 878 891 1 691 632 34.2 R Popular initiative against foreign expropriation I. 74.7 11 740 557 517 46.0 R 654 844 19 6/2 19 6/2 6 2/2 13 4/2 ----- To this table should be added the votes on bilateral I and on free movement with the European Union of 21 May 2000 (accepted by 67 per cent), the vote of 25 September 2005 on the extension of free movement (accepted by 56 per cent) and the vote on the initiative to lower the number of foreigners in Switzerland to 18 per cent of 24 September 2000 (rejected by 64 per cent). (1) Popular initiatives with counter-bills are counted as a single vote. Votes “without response” are not listed in the table. (2) Obl. = Constitutional bills from the Federal Assembly submitted for obligatory referendum. Opt. = Federal laws and decrees against which an optional referendum succeeded. I. = Constitutional bills based on popular initiatives. (3) With respect to valid ballots. (4) A total of 23 cantons (until 1978: 22 cantons). In optional referendums, a simple majority is sufficient. (p) provisional results Federal Chancellery, Information Service. Information: 031 322 37 91 E-mail: webmaster@admin.ch Federal Office for Statistics, statistics on federal votes Information: Werner Seitz, 032 713 63 65, werner.seitz@bfs.admin.ch Madeleine Schneider, 032 713 63 99, madeleine.schneider@bfs.admin.ch © OFS - Encyclopédie statistique de la Suisse. A/HRC/4/19/Add.2 page 30 Type(2) No. of vote(1)